Potentiality - From Dispositions to Modality

Individual objects have potentials: paper has the potential to burn; an acorn has the potential to turn into a tree. Barbara Vetter investigates the metaphysics of such potentials, and develops a dispositionalist view of metaphysical modality which takes account of contemporary developments in metaphysics, logic, and semantics.

List of contents

• 1: The Project


• 2: Dispositions: against the standard conception


• 3: Dispositions: an alternative conception


• 4: Varieties of potentiality


• 5: Formalizing potentiality


• 6: Possibility: metaphysics and semantics


• 7: Objections


• A: Formal adequacy


• Bibliography


• Index

About the author

Barbara Vetter has a BPhil and a DPhil in Philosophy from the University of Oxford and is now a junior professor for theoretical philosophy at Humboldt-University, Berlin.

Summary

Individual objects have potentials: paper has the potential to burn; an acorn has the potential to turn into a tree. Barbara Vetter investigates the metaphysics of such potentials, and develops a dispositionalist view of metaphysical modality which takes account of contemporary developments in metaphysics, logic, and semantics.

Additional text

I believe that Potentiality is a very important book that should be read by anyone who is interested in the metaphysics of modality in general and in dispositionalist approaches to modality in particular.

Product details

• Authors: Barbara Vetter, Barbara (Humboldt-Universitat Zu Berlin) Vetter
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.10.2018
• EAN: 9780198825869
• ISBN: 978-0-19-882586-9
• No. of pages: 348
• Series: Oxford Philosophical Monographs; Oxford Philosophical Monograph; Oxford Philosophical Monographs; Oxford Philosophical Monograph
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative linguistics; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: general, reference works